Ortho Articles

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." -- C.S. Lewis

Many people didn't get braces when they were young. Maybe your parents couldn't afford it or straight teeth just didn't seem like a priority, or perhaps the technology when you were young seemed more like toture equipment. With today's modern braces technology, difficult problems from 20 or 30 years ago are just routine treatments today. Today's orthodontist has an all digital path to correcting your teeth.

Maybe you had orthodontic treatment when you were younger, but because you did not wear your retainer long enough your teeth settled in, slightly twisted or crooked. No matter the physical reason for needing braces, the resulting cosmetic improvement in your smile will certainly lift your spirits.

When you use orthodontic braces to move the teeth you are coaxing the ligaments to stretch and contract. The braces create forces on the ligament by moving the tooth. The ligament in turn applies force to the bone. The stresses in the affected area cause the blood supply to increase, which in turn leads to a biological response called bone remodeling. Bone is reabsorbed in the compressed area and new bone is formed in the opened area. Bone remodeling is occurring all the time in our bodies. In fact, almost 100% of our skeleton is replaced in the first year of our lives. This remodeling continues at about 10% per year once we reach adulthood.

According to the Columbia University New Service, tooth loss in seniors has decreased as their dental health has improved. That along with increasing life spans have more and more seniors saying no to dentures and yes to a better and brighter smile through the use of orthodontics.

Orthodontic treatment was once limited mostly to teenagers, but now more than 1 million adults have braces according to the American Association of Orthodontists. People in their 60s, 70s and 80s are now straightening their teeth due to their improved lifetime of dental care. As rates of toothlessness decline and people live longer, more seniors are saying no to dentures and yes to orthodontic treatment like Invisalign.

See your dentist every 6 months to keep your teeth clean and healthy. See your orthodontist sometime between the age of 8 years and 80 years and see how much more healthy your teeth can become. Straight teeth are easyier to keep clean. A properly fitting bite reduces tooth wear and movement which increases overall stability and health of your bite.